The First Immortal of Destiny

As for Duanmu Yuan himself, he had not revealed how he planned to construct the Divine Bridge. After all, this matter was of great significance. If exposed to outsiders, it could invite deliberate targeting on his path towards enlightenment, ultimately having a fatal impact on his pursuit of the Dao—a form of external calamity! For instance, if aspiring Heavenly Monarchs chose the Heartless Path, their enemies might manipulate those they held dear to disrupt their Path Heart. If they chose the Great Returning Path, their enemies could wield venomous curses or evil spirits targeting their True Yuan, corrupting their True Yuan Mana. Take the Evil Monarch Lin Zhaozai for example: if he were still a Half-step Heavenly Monarch, about to use the White Bones Path to construct his Divine Bridge, Shen Mo, upon learning this, would undoubtedly find ways to destroy his spirit bones. Hence, the choice of path to become a Heavenly Monarch was a top secret for individuals like these. It was best to keep it to oneself and not mention it casually to others.

In this conversation, even though Duanmu Yuan, a Half-step Heavenly Monarch, did not disclose explicit enlightenment methods, he still pointed Shen Mo in the general direction, providing him with significant insight. This was all thanks to Lady Scarlet; otherwise, such profound secret methods would never be casually passed on to unrelated outsiders.

Before parting, Shen Mo tentatively requested an audience with Danchen Zi. Duanmu Yuan candidly informed Shen Mo that Danchen Zi had been occupied with other unknown matters. Even he, Danchen Zi’s Direct Disciple, had not seen his master for many years and thus naturally could not arrange an introduction. However, after Lady Scarlet’s persistent persuasion, Duanmu Yuan reluctantly agreed to convey Shen Mo’s request when Danchen Zi next summoned him.

「...」

Integrating the information Sect Master Duanmu revealed with what I already knew, I can make some deductions. The Heavenly Monarch Danchen Zi has likely left the Primordial Realm and ventured to other Withering Realms, seeking the rumored ”Immortal Realm”!

Riding the Evil-eating Centipede and returning to Wangxian Mountain with Lady Scarlet, Shen Mo was still digesting the insights gained from this meeting.

The Primordial Realm was the term used by the Heavenly Monarchs of the Heaven Patrolling Temple to refer to this world, which included the Red Flame Zone, the Heaven Patrolling Zone, and many other unknown territories. Races from other Withering Realms—that is, outer realm creatures—had various names for this world. Shen Mo knew, for instance, that the Flower Fairy clan called it ”Sairi Qige,” meaning a world full of exotic flowers and strange grasses. Similarly, the Heavenly Demons from the outer realms, much like how Human Cultivators referred to the Heavenly Demons’ home as the ”Lower Realm” or ”Heavenly Demon Realm,” called this world the ”Upper Realm” or ”Mortal Realm.” Furthermore, dark ice creatures, the Gold Man race, Flame Worms, the Thousand-eyed clan, Smoke Demons, Human-faced Willows, and other outer realm creatures all had their own distinct names for this world, with no uniform appellation. After all, for countless millennia, this world had only been in contact with the Heavenly Demon Realm and was unaware of the multitude of other worlds and extraterrestrial races in the universe. Being called the Mortal Realm was sufficient to distinguish it from the Heavenly Demon Realm.

However, for beings at the Heavenly Monarch level, a specific designation was now necessary to avoid confusion. After consulting ancient texts and engaging in discussions, the Divine Bridge Realm Heavenly Monarchs in the Daoist temple had finally decided on ”Primordial Realm” as the official name. It likely had a significant origin and deeper meaning, though even Duanmu Yuan was not entirely clear on it. Perhaps, for the native creatures of this realm, it carried the meaning of ”the land of origin.” During his conversation with Duanmu Yuan, the latter, either purposely or inadvertently, revealed many such hints. This led Shen Mo to guess that Danchen Zi, or perhaps other Heavenly Monarchs, might have already left the Primordial Realm.

Danchen Zi’s lifespan is dwindling. If he stays in the Primordial Realm, it’s almost impossible for him to break through the Divine Bridge Realm and advance to a completely new realm within a mere five hundred years! Only by finding the rumored ”Immortal Realm” might he be able to prolong his lifespan with Immortal Spirit Qi, or even receive aid in breaking through to a brand-new Dao Realm. At worst, he could seek out the Longevity race, request a Longevity Pill from them, and attain an unconventional form of longevity. This likely applies to other Divine Bridge Realm Heavenly Monarchs too. This world is still too limiting for beings of their stature. Although achieving the Divine Bridge Realm is extremely challenging, the Primordial Realm is not the ideal choice if they wish to pursue a deeper cultivation level and a higher Dao Realm!

As far as Shen Mo knew, there was no recorded instance in the history of the cultivation world of any being surpassing the Heavenly Monarch realm, nor was there any description of Dao Realms beyond the Divine Bridge Realm. Perhaps in prehistoric times, when the world’s environment was different, such beings might have existed. But no records of such events or descriptions of those Dao Realms had been passed down. Of course, while the possibility existed, it was so minuscule as to be almost negligible.

In the cultivation world, many believed that older beings tended to be stronger—that was a misconception. The ones that had survived the ravages of time were the most formidable beings. Weaker individuals, who didn’t live long enough to reach later generations, rarely had a chance to leave any trace in historical records or scriptures. These supreme experts, who had lived for two to three thousand years, were continuously absorbing new knowledge of the Immortal Path throughout their long lifespans. They were far from being rigid traditionalists; their accumulated knowledge grew ever deeper. This gave younger cultivators the illusion that older beings were inherently stronger.

In reality, whether in the Red Flame Zone or the Heaven Patrolling Zone, the cultivation world as a whole was showing a trend of increasing prosperity. Whether it was the methods for achieving the Golden Core, or the sophistication of magic, elixirs, talismans, artifacts, and arrays, ancient ways did not necessarily outperform contemporary ones. This was especially true considering that countless years ago, the world had been dominated by various races of demonic beasts. The Human Race in the Primordial Realm had faced a situation similar to their kin on Golden Light Ridge, being little more than meat to be slaughtered at will.

Therefore, Shen Mo was more inclined to believe that since ancient times, the Primordial Realm had indeed never produced a being stronger than the Divine Bridge Realm. As for beings like the master of the Dragon Rearing Pool—an Immortal Path magnate whose power might exceed that of Heavenly Monarchs—they could be akin to Soaring Serpents, Four-eyed Giants, and other similar entities. They likely resided as ”parasites” within the Universe Tree, able to navigate among innumerable realms, rather than inhabiting the Primordial Realm.

If it is as I suspect, Danchen Zi and other Heavenly Monarchs would have a strong motivation to explore other worlds—whether to visit the rumored ”Immortal Realm” or to find the Longevity race of the outer realms! Moreover, they once sought knowledge from the Protectors of the forbidden lands who descended upon the Heaven Patrolling Zone. Currently, most of these Protectors are Class V beings, and they can use the forbidden lands to move to other Withering Realms. Danchen Zi and other Heavenly Monarchs should also be able to master such methods! Otherwise... the catastrophe that befell the Ancient Vine Sect proves that an Evil Monarch, whose strength had not yet fully recovered, has appeared in the Heaven Patrolling Zone. The Heavenly Monarchs in the Daoist temple cannot ignore this! Danchen Zi wouldn’t avoid Duanmu Yuan for several years either, completely disregarding the matters of the LiMountain Elixir Sect.